The Sabertooth Blenny

"I venture the theory, in short, that adventure lies in the man himself and not in the happening."
- White Waters and Black

I liked that quote. Now I will share an exerpt from my journal on one of my favorite fishes.

20-2-2011

My luck continues. Today I saw a scorpion fish, triggerfish,  several types of rare damsel fishes, and then some. Today was the lowest tide to date here, and I reaped its benefits. I was also able to see the deceptive sabertooth blenny feed. What a treat. I shall describe the scene.

I came upon a cleaning station where a large chub idled allowing small wrasses to pluck annoying isopods from beneath its scales. A wonderful symbiotic relationship where larger fish, such as said chub, are rid of their pesky parasites, and the the cleaners are provided with an excellent meal. At this point I spy the stealthy sabertooth blenny. He is amongst the rainbow wrasses posing as a cleaner and biding his time. He blends in quite well with the rainbow wrasse, but his movement and slightly different coloring give him away. My coastal bible here, Fishes of the Tropical Eastern Pacific, says these fish can be identified easiest by  "a very large recurved canine on eah side of the lower jaw." Hence the name sabertooth blenny I suppose.
The wrasses continue to clean the unknowing chub while our dear blenny lies in wait. Then, out of nowhere, he strikes. Going in for a supposed isopod he lunges forward just like a wrasse. Rather than removing a pest he opens his mouth and bites off a large chunk of flesh and scales. Mission accomplished. The chub looks stuned for no more than a moment then swims off disgruntled. I suppose he was feeling ashamed and silly for being duped by the tiny sabertooth blenny that reaches no more than 10 cm. That is to say that fish have the capacity to feel shame which I highly doubt. Regardless the rainbow wrasses were out of isopods, and a chub was missing a few scales. Deceptively cunning little fellow the sabertooth blenny and fearless to boot. They are said to have a bite at divers who aggravate them--although I have never been bitten, and I have done my fair share of aggravating the sabertooth blenny.


Photo of sabertooth blenny